Atheophobia

In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled that organized prayer had no place in public schools, in accordance with the Establishment Clause. In 1963, a seventh-grader in Rhode Island wrote a prayer, which was painted on the wall of the auditorium at Cranston High School. In August of 2010, high school junior Jessica Ahlquist began to protest the display of the prayer. By November of the same year, Ahlquist required a police escort when attending school counsel meetings regarding the display of the prayer, due to threats of violence against her person. The debate over the display of this prayer is a terrific microcosm of the greater relationship between atheists and theists in this country.

If there is one thing that all Americans should be able to agree on, it’s the principle that freedom of religion is essential to preserving the essence of liberty. Religion is a hot-button issue internationally, and the establishment of civil dialogues between various religious groups is of immediate importance. Reasonable concessions must be made in order to promote peace and understanding. This was what Ahlquist was hoping to achieve in her school. As an American, she recognized the fact that a mural of a prayer could be offensive to people. As an atheist, she recognized the exclusionary nature of the mural and understood that fellow nonbelievers would continue to be discriminated against as long as the prayer continued to be displayed.

Ahlquist did not ask for anyone’s rights to be taken away. Her protest was not against any specific religious group. She just didn’t want to have a very public display of religion to be in her face at school. Because of this, she was publicly vilified and threatened (by both her peers and by adults in the community). Once, after Ahlquist made a statement in a town hall meeting, an adult member of the community made the following statement, “If people want to be Atheist, it’s their choice and they can go to hell if they want.” Notice that this statement doesn’t address the legal or ethical implications of a prominently posted prayer in a public school. This statement was a personal attack, directed at Ahlquist, because of her religious beliefs. Rhode Island State Representative Peter Polombo  even went so far as to appear on talk radio so he could broadcast his opinions that Ahlquist was an “evil little thing” and that she is “being coerced by evil people.”

Unfortunately, this type of vitriol is commonly directed at atheists, who have become the last religious group to receive widespread social persecution. The continued prejudice against atheists is an obstacle to productive religious discourse.